The Who2 Blog

One Minute of Historical Audio: Alben W. Barkley

Below is the audio recording of Vice President Alben William Barkley speaking his last words, on 30 April 1956. Barkley had a heart attack in the middle of a speech at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. He was 78 years old at the time, serving as a U.S. senator from Kentucky.

The Doctor Who Removed His Own Appendix

It happened in Antarctica in 1961. The doctor — and patient — was one Leonid Rogozov.”The operation started at about 22:00 on 30 April with the help of a
driver and meteorologist, who were providing instruments and holding a
mirror to observe areas not directly visible, while Rogozov was in a
semi-reclining position… Rogozov made a 10-12 cm incision and
proceeded to expose the appendix.”

Rima Fakih, Miss USA 2010 – PHOTOS

Rima Fakih was crowned Miss USA 2010 last night as Donald Trump proudly looked on.  (He owns the pageant, after all.) 

Hello, Goodbye, Levi P. Morton

Former United States Vice President Levi P. Morton was born on this day in 1824, in Shoreham, Vermont.

Levi P. Morton also died on this day — on his 96th birthday! — in 1920.

Around the World at 16: By the Numbers

Jessica Watson has returned to Australia after sailing around the world, nonstop, by herself, at age 16.  She spent 210 days on a pink 33-foot boat named Ella’s Pink Lady.Her consumables for the trip:
Litres of water: 150
Cartons of juice: 160
Tins of Spam: 32
Tins of tuna: 64

Isabella Rossellini’s “Seduce Me” Videos

Also called “Green Porn,” these short films about animal reproduction are informative, clever and, sometimes, just plain weird. They’re on the Sundance Channel.Rossellini, as you may know, is the daughter of Hollywood legends Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini.

Miranda Who?

Maybe you noticed today was Miranda Cosgrove’s birthday on our Born On This Day feature, and maybe you wondered who the heck Miranda Cosgrove is.
Anyone who has seen the Richard Linklater film School of Rock (also known as “the last good movie Jack Black was in) will recognize Miranda Cosgrove as the girl who played Summer, the uptight band “manager.”

The 24 Best Summer Blockbusters Ever

Time Out runs ’em down. 30 movies are actually on the list, but a half-dozen are clearly included just to be argued about.  We’re not biting!

Wings, Medium; Obama, Smokin’ Hot

President Barack Obama got medium wings and hot chat yesterday on his trip through Buffalo, New York.Obama stopped for lunch at Duff’s Famous Chicken Wings, ordering 10 medium wings (five extra crispy) plus fries and onion rings. Then the president got some extra-spicy banter from local resident Luann Haley, who told him: “You’re a hottie with a smokin’ little body.”

The Wicked, Wicked Ways of Errol Flynn

I particularly detest books that begin something like, “Ah, there was joy and happiness in the quaint Tasmanian home of Professor Flynn when the first bellowings of lusty little Errol were heard…”  So if you are interested, let’s get down to the meat of the matter.So begins My Wicked, Wicked Ways, the jaw-dropping 1959 autobiography by Errol Flynn.  Posthumous autobiography, it turned out:  Flynn died at age 50 on a bedroom floor in Canada before his finished book could be published.

Oh Lordy: Mark Sanford Again

It was Appalachian Trail time again this weekend for Gov. Mark Sanford.  He spent the weekend in Miami with his once (and future?) mistress, Maria Chapur.

Get Out of There!

In the spirit of “We got company” and “It’s gonna blow!”  (Note: some naughty language.)

David Cameron Meets the Queen: Photos

David Cameron meets Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on 11 May 2010 and agrees to form a government as Prime Minister. Below, Cameron and his wife Samantha arrive at …..

Gordon Brown Out, David Cameron In

Sooner than expected, has resigned as prime minister for the United Kingdom, and his rival from the Conservative Party, David Cameron has taken over the post, becoming the youngest prime minister in a couple of centuries (Cameron is 43 years old).Read about it here at the BBC, or visit the official site of Prime Minister Cameron here.

Frank Frazetta, Beloved ‘Conan the Barbarian’ Illustrator, Dead at 82

Frank Frazetta, the fantasy painter and illustrator whose images of sinewy warriors and lush vixens graced paperback novels, album covers and comic books for decades and became something close to the contemporary visual definition of the sword-and-sorcery genres, died Monday after suffering a stroke the night before. He was 82.”Sinewy warriors and lush vixens” — that’s saying it.